Customizing your aggregation

In this article, we walk through examples of group aggregation using customized clauses like "greater than" and "else". To test for yourself, use the data set we provide in prerequisites.

Prerequisites

Before attempting the following practice examples, follow these steps to upload the sample dataset:

Click on the dropdown to see the steps to upload the data.

  1. Click here to download the sample data set.

  2. Sign in to your ThoughtSpot account, and click the Data tab.

  3. Click the more icon more 10px menu icon in the top-right of the screen. From the menu, select Upload data.

  4. Upload the data file, either by dragging and dropping it into the field provided, or by clicking Browse your files and selecting Meetings_tiny.csv.

    1. To answer Are the column names already defined in the file header?, select Yes.

    2. To answer Are the fields separated by?, select Comma (,).

  5. Select Next at the bottom right of the screen to proceed.

  6. Select Next to proceed without changing the column names. For the sake of the formulas used in the examples, column names should not be changed.

  7. Review the column types in Step 3 and select Upload to finish.

  8. Click the search icon on the final screen of the upload process to begin a search based on the sample data set.

In the examples of basic group aggregation, we use an intentionally simple inner aggregation of sum(hours) so we can focus on the overall behavior of the group_aggregate function. For example, we use the following formula:

Average hours per activity classification
average(
  group_aggregate(
    sum(hours),
    query_groups() + {activity classification},
    {}
    )
  )

In line 4 of the formula above, we first specify the level of detail in our inner aggregation (the terms used in the search bar, in addition to activity classification), then line 3 of the formula determines the aggregation type, sum(hours). Finally, the formula "aggregates up" to the search bar level of detail by averaging the sums that were calculated from lines 3 and 4.

Aggregating with a 'greater than' clause

If we only want to look at hours for activity classes that surpassed some minimum amount, we can use a formula with an IF…​THEN…​ELSE clause. For example, suppose we only want to consider activity classes where the sum of hours is greater than 5.

In that case we could use a formula like the following:

  1. Create the formula:

    hours per activity classification where hours > 5
     average(
   group_aggregate(
     if (sum(hours) > 5) then sum(hours) else 0,
     query_groups() + {activity classification},
     {}
     )
   )

    Now, instead of summing hours for all accounts, we sum hours only for the accounts where the sum of the hours is greater than 5.

  2. Search for: account activity classification hours activity classification where hours > 5 sort by account

  3. The following table results:

    Table 1. Example 6.1
    Account Activity classification Total Hours Activity classification where hours > 5

    Amazon

    meeting

    11

    11

    Oracle

    meeting

    18

    18

    Redshift

    meeting

    5

    0

    Redshift

    call

    1

    0

    Snowflake

    meeting

    2

    0

    Snowflake

    call

    6

    0

    In the results above, we can see that hours per activity classification where hours > 5 shows zero hours for the cases where total hours is less than or equal to 5.

Notice in the above formula that the calculation takes place within the group aggregate.

Nesting aggregated formulas

We recommend users do not create an aggregate calculation and then attempt to aggregate further. ThoughtSpot does not support nesting aggregated formulas like the following:

hours by activity classification
sum(
  group_aggregate(
    sum(hours),
    query_groups() + {activity classification},
    {}
    )
  )
bad_formula
If (
  sum("hours by activity classification") > 5
  )
  then
   "hours by activity classification" else
    0

In the second formula, sum is an aggregation function. It attempts to aggregate the column specified in its argument (in this case, hours by activity classification) to the level of the search. But the column specified is the result of a group-aggregate formula, so it is already aggregated to the level of detail of the search.

If you try to do this, you find that you cannot create bad_formula because the function "sum" will not accept hours by activity classification as an argument.

Note that these formulas will not work whether or not you supply the outer aggregation (sum) in the hours by activity classification formula. If you supply the outer aggregation, as shown above, hours by activity classification already aggregates to the level of detail specified by the search.

Similarly, you cannot use these formulas together:

hours by activity classification
sum(
  group_aggregate(
    sum(hours),
    query_groups() + {activity classification},
    {}
    )
  )
bad_formula
sum(
  if ("hours by activity classification" > 5
    )
    then
     "hours by activity classification" else
      0
    )

Although the argument to sum can be an expression, it must be an expression that is computed from a column that can be aggregated, and in this case hours by activity classification is already aggregated to the level of the search and cannot be aggregated further. Again, you cannot create bad_formula as ThoughtSpot does not accept its syntax.

As a general rule, always do your calculation as the first argument inside the group_aggregate function.

Aggregating using 'else'

In this example, we want to only include events in our calculation where the event time is greater than two hours. We use the {ID} to specify that we want our level of detail to be the finest level of detail possible, the event.

  1. Create the following formula:

    event hours > 2 hours
    sum(
  group_aggregate(
    if (sum(hours) - 2 > 0) then sum(hours) - 2 else 0,
    query_groups() + {id},
    {}
    )
  )

    This formula calculates an "adjusted" time for each event by subtracting two hours. If the event has less than two hours of time, the event hours are set to 0. We can use this in the search bar in a variety of ways.

  2. Search: account id hours event hours > 2 hours sort by account sort by id.

  3. The following table results:

    Table 2. Example 6.2.1
    Account ID Total Hours Event hours > 2 hours

    Amazon

    10

    2

    0

    Amazon

    11

    3

    1

    Amazon

    8

    5

    3

    Amazon

    9

    1

    0

    Oracle

    12

    5

    3

    Oracle

    13

    6

    4

    Oracle

    14

    7

    5

    Redshift

    5

    4

    2

    Redshift

    6

    1

    0

    Redshift

    7

    1

    0

    Snowflake

    1

    2

    0

    Snowflake

    2

    1

    0

    Snowflake

    3

    3

    1

    Snowflake

    4

    1

    0

Let’s try another search which aggregates up to the account level using the same formula.

  1. Search for: account hours event hours > 2 hours sort by account.

  2. The following table results:

    Table 3. Example 6.2.2
    Account Total hours Event hours > 2 hours

    Amazon

    11

    4

    Oracle

    18

    12

    Redshift

    3

    2

    Snowflake

    3.5

    1

    Note that Amazon has a total of four event hours, which reflects the sum of hours for all Amazon events, discounting the first two hours of any event.

ThoughtSpot currently does not support either nested group_aggregate functions, or nesting a group_aggregate function in another aggregation function.

There are business use cases where this type of nested aggregation makes sense; for example, if the inner aggregation specifies a particular level of detail (does not use query_groups() +) and the outer aggregation then aggregates to the search level of detail or to another specified level of aggregation. However, ThoughtSpot’s formula language currently does not support this functionality.

Related information:

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